The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-11-05
Points Well Made.

Hon. William Dudley Foulke, at the
recent New England Woman Suffrage
Convention in Newport, r. l., says:
"Only the day before yesterday l
was talking with an eminent political
economist who was opposed to grant
| ing suffrage to women. He said -
'What do you propose to gain by it7-
Will politics become any clearer? l
thought that they would become much
| cleaner, but that was not the main rea-
son for suffrage. 'The reason that men
desire to exercise it, I answered, SIS
that they may protect in their own way
their own rights and interests. Suppose
the question should be put to vote,
whether loan or a gift should be made
by township in aid of new railroad
woman, possibly, may be the owner
of one-half the property in the town
ship, yet she has no voice in determin-
ing whether she shall be taxed to build
the road she has no means of protect
ing her own, while every man, whether
he have property or not, can vote to
cast this burden upon her. Is that
fair p The gentleman admitted that
it was not. 'In such case,' said he,
she ought undoubtedly to have the
right to vote to protect her property;
but that is an exceptional case NO.
I answered, 'that case is not the excep-
ton but the rule. No question can
arise in legislation but one in which
she has an interest similar in principle
if not degree. Take woman who is
without property, one who is rearing
boys whom she endeavors to train as
upright men. The question arises,
Shall liquor be sold in the town? do
not intend to advocate the cause of pro-
hibition when l say that she has an in
terest in the question quite distinct from
that of the saloon-keeper, and one which
is at least entitled to an equal voice.
Or perhaps she is widow with young
and beautiful daughters, and her narrow
means and struggle for livelihood pre-
vent her from exercising at all times
that personal care which might preserve
them from the enticements of liber-
tine. The question arises: At what
period in girls life shall the law cause
to interfere and declare that act to be
innocent which, if committed upon
childhood, is a crime? Has she no spe-
cial interest in this issue? Is her inter-
est the same as that of the other sex,
of whom very preceptible part is COM
posed of the men against whom more
stringent legislation is invoked? Look
over the whole field of government,
and woman has her interest in every
issue in just the same way that man
has, though that interest is very often
quite different one. There is neither
justice not reason in the organic law
which gives to him the political sover-
eighty which it denies to her.
'And what waste goes on so long as
we avail ourselves of only one-half of
the vital force of mankind, in the de-
velopment of the mighty organism ofthis
Republic One-half of its wisdom, its
virtue, its devotions, its enthusiasms,
must lie helpless and inactive, and see
the work wrought out by other hands.
This lisa crippled and deformed humani-
ty. All we ask is that mankind and
womankind shall be equally and COM
pletely free to grow and develop togeth-
er into that fuller and more perfect stat
ure which freedom only can enable us
to attain